After our breakfast of pre-packaged toast and Nutella and jam, we quickly rejoined the Via degli Dei. We had fabulous views of the nearby mountains, as well as wind turbines and flowery fields.
A notable feature of this section were all the benches, interesting signs and artefacts on the way. We were astounded and very much appreciated them! At one of these benches a walker coming the other way took our photo - our 'photo of the day' at the top of this post.
As in previous days, there were many walkers on the trail. We greeted and counted 180 walkers in the time we were on the Via.
At one stage we inadvertently left the trail and joined the bike Via degli Dei. The trail is marked in both directions, but as people mostly walk the other way (from Bologna to Florence), the signage is sometimes easier to spot that way. The bike trail also had amazing views and was equipped with one bench and a water fountain, as well as some art works, so cyclists weren't forgotten.
We rejoined the walkers' Via degli Dei in time for a steep descent on gravel. The hiking poles came in handy! Towards the end, there was a bench for hikers to watch the local soccer. We took advantage of it, even though there were just a few training.
We reached Monzuno and stopped at a small market, where we bought bananas and peaches and the stall holder threw in dates and apricots and a bit of Italian practice, where we talked of our walk and a bit about Australia. Moving into Monzuno, we were surprised by the number of walkers congregated in the main square. The walkers of the Via degli Dei are mostly Italian, young and in groups. This walk has a lovely energy.
At the next bar, we had cappuccino and bought salad rolls to take on with us. The Via then followed the road for quite a while, with short diversions off through shady bush. A gentleman on a balcony checked we were going in the right direction - we were. The walkers coming in the other direction thinned out, we speculated that they had all stopped for lunch and siestas.
Reluctantly we left the Via to head to our accommodation, 15km away by road. Luckily it was downhill - in the absence of any benches (they were all in the first part of the day), we ate our lunch while walking. We then joined a road that ran by a river, but we didn't see much of it. We had a discussion with a local at a bar while enjoying a cool drink, but he was uncertain of the existence of a river path after new bridge construction.
After two big days in a row, we were very glad to check in at our hotel and had a good dinner on site.
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| Pre-packaged toast for breakfast |
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Madonna dei Fornelli welcomes the hordes of walkers on the Via Degli Dei
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| A very scenic stretch of the route on the way out from Madonna dei Fornelli |
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| A bit of uphill on a mostly downhill day |
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| Hay! |
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| Filling up the water bottle at a conveniently located fountain |
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| Flowery meadow |
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| One of an improbably large number of benches in the first few kilometres of today's walk |
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| Look - yet another bench |
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| A butterfly on the bike route of the Via Degli Dei |
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| Expansive views from the bike route |
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| The Via Degli Dei towards Monzuno |
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| Approaching Monzuno |
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| Some trail wisdom |
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| Some of the many signs that kept us entertained during today's walk |
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| The hug tree on the Via Degli Dei |
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| Butterfly rocks |
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| Monzuno football field |
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| Outdoor market stall in Monzuno |
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| Lots of walkers congregating in Monzuno |
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| Cappuccino stop in Monzuno |
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| The Gate of Discarded Socks on the Via Degli Dei |
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| Another interesting sign |
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| A bit of uphill on a mostly downhill day |
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| The view back to Monzuno |
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| The Via Degli Dei went quite close to the road at times |
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| A quiet track |
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| Lunch on the road |
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| Speed check - we were probably OK |
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| A substantial bridge took us into Sasso Marconi for the end of today's walk |
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| A bird statue and a bird in a field |
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| Day 40 - Map |
Day: 40
Distance: 30.76 km
Walking time: 6 hrs 26 mins
Elevation gain: 395 metres
Cumulative distance: 775.33 km
Today’s bird(s): Hooded Crow
ReplyDeleteDoes Sasso Marconi have anything to do with Guglielmo Marconi? I worked for Marconi Instruments in the UK for about 3 months over Christmas holidays during my university days in the late 70s.
That's interesting! Marconi sent the first long distance telegraph signal here. There is a museum and a grave, but we didn't visit either. The town was officially renamed after him.
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